Process of producing hydrogen.



K. SCHAEFER.v

PROCESS 0F PRODUCING HYDHOGEN.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14| 19H.

Patented June 29,1915.

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KARL .SCHAEFER, 0F CHRZGTTENBURG, GERMANY, .ASSIGNR T0 BERLNZ MHALTISCHE MASGHINENBAU-AKTIEN-GESELLSCHAFT, 0F BEE/LIN, GER- MANY, A COBPORTXON 0F EDI? u 1 GEES 0E RODUCNG- HYDEOGEN,

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Application led July 14, 191e. Serial No. 85l,015.

To all whom t may concern? Be it known that I, KARL SOHAEFER, a citizen of the Empire of Germany, and a resident of Charlottenburg, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Process of Producing Hydrogen, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the process of producing hydrogen, and more particularly in the process in which a reducing gas and steam are alternately passed through a mass of heated iron inclosed within upright retorts.

In the process of producing hydrogen within chambers wh-ich are filled with a mass of iron it is dicult to cause a uniform flow through the Whole charge of the reducing gases used for heating the charge and the steam used for reducing the same. ln the inner parts of the mass of iron the parts of the iron charge are in thorough Contact and entangled with each other, while at the smooth side walls of the chamber free passages are formed, so that the gases owing along the smooth side walls ind almost no resistance and a stronger current of the gases is produced along the side Walls than Within the mass of iron. The non-uniform flow of the gases is objectionable in the process, because a partgof the reaction gases flows through the chamber Without being utilized and the steam passes through the chamber without lbeing suiiiciently decomposed by the iron. In .both steps of the process an excessive amount of gas and steam is necessary. The vehement reaction which takes place near the side Walls of the chamber is liable to cause superheating of the charge, and the central core of the charge is utilized in part only, and after some time it forms an entirely dead mass. Besides the side walls of the reaction chamber are subject.

'gases but also to the corroding ei'ect of the large mass of hot reducing gases.

The object of the improvements isto prothe heating of the production of hydrogen vide a method in which mass of iron and the are improved.

With this object in view my invention consists in charging the central part of thechamber with pieces of iron which are larger than those located near the walls of the chamber. By charging the parts of the chamber with iron piecesrof the proper sizes l am enabled Ito provide perfectly uniform passages for the gases throughout the chamber, and I am even enabled to so distribute the masses of iron, that the flow of the gases through the central part of the chamber is stronger than near the walls, whereby the injurious eect of the gases on the side walls is safely avoided.

An example of an apparatus suitable for carrying out this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of the apparatus filled and ready for operation; Fig. 2 is a detail vertical section of the up er part of the apparatus with means for filling it in the manner shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section showing a slightly diierent filling.

The apparatus shown comprises `a chamber or shell 1 supported on posts 2 and provided with a filling neck 3 normally closed by a cover 4.' Two annular'ribs 5 and 6 respectively form a lower compartment at the bottom of the shell 1 between these two ribs a pipe 8, provided with a shut-oli.E valve 7, is connected with said lower compartment to supply a secondary blastof air thereto, while below the rib 6 the said compartment is connected with an outlet pipe 9, controlled by a valve 10, for the escapeof the hot combustion products. Steam may be admitted to said lower compartment at proper times, through a pipe 12, provided with a shut-0E valve 1l. Air under pressure may beyadmitted to the other (upper). end of the shell 1 through a pipe 14:, rovided with a controlling valve 13. This end of the shell is also provided withanother pipe 16, adapted which are\ placed in the and thatf ordinarily to serve for the admission of reducing gas, when the valve 15 is open, or for the escape of hydrogen gas through a branch pipe 18, when the valve 17 is open.

In carrying out the invention the chamber 1 may be -lled with iron pieces b, b1 of different sizes by means of charging means constructed in the form of a funnel 19, 2O having ktwo concentric discharges the central `discharge being `provided for the VApieces of ironb of larger size and the outer one which surrounds the central one in the form of a concentric jacket being provided for the smaller pieces of iron 7),. The charge may also be subdivided in columns composed of iron pieces of different sizes by composing the columns of solid or tubular iron rods 21 form of lattice- Work, andvvliich provide a frame Work for a loose mass of iron which may b e charged 'either by hand or by mechanical means. Preferably the said iron rods are so thin that they are gradually oxidized in the course of the process, so that they break when emptying the chamber and chamber.

I have found that in practice when supplying heating gas and air to the charge and a part of the charge is onceexcessively heated, 'irregularities are caused in the process which start from this part and are gradually`transmitted to the surrounding parts, because the resistance oil'ered by the charge to the iioW of the gases is irregular. The

non-uniform flow of the gases causes vehement reactions and superheating of the mass, whereby the mass is impaired. Similar irregularities are when the reducing gas and the steam are thereafter passed through the charge. It will readily be understood, that thereby the consumption in reducing gas is increased the output in hydrogen is reduced. To avoid this vobjection Iprefer to provide between the gas and air inlet end of the chamber (that is to say, the upper end in Fig. 1) and the charge of iron a layer a of good heat storing bodies.

In some eases it is necessary to superheat the steam. In order to distribute the superheated steam uniformly through the Whole mass, I prefer to provide a layer of refractory stones a, lin advance of the reaction chamber proper, and to burn Within the said stones vthe ygases coming from the reaction chamber during the reducing period by supplying thereto through the pipe 8 air for supporting combustion. v The heat'vvhich is thus produced is taken up by thev stones a1 and is transmitted to the steam Which is subsequently caused to pass through such stones.

The said stones should be located immediof the chamber Where the ately at the part e the charge of reducing gases coming from do not hinderthe discharging of the mass of iron from the thereafter observed in apparatus in which simultaneously direct v and indirect heating is provided, and also in apparatus which are indirectly heated. When performing the process'in apparatus of `the last named class, one of the advantages -of my improved process is not availed of, that is advantage of having the reducing gas uniformly distributed. But otherwise the process has all the advantages re- {erred-to above.v s

' I claim herein as'my invention:

1. The ,herein described process of producing hydrogen, which consists in alternately passing a reducing gas and steam through a heated mass of iron the central zone of which has a greater permeability than the outer one.' l

2. The herein described process of producing hydrogen, which consists in alternately passing a reducinggas and steam through a heated mass of iron comprising a central zone containing large pieces of iron and an outer zone of smaller pieces of iron.

3. The herein described` process of producing hydrogen, which consists in alternately passing a reducing gas and steam through a heated mass of iron comprising in its central part upright iron rods andI a loose mass of iron surrounding the same.

4. The herein described process of producing hydrogen, which consists in alternately passing a reducing gas and steam through a heated mass of iron comprising in its central'partupright tubular iron rods and'a loose mass of iron surrounding the same.

5. The herein described process of producing hydrogen, which consists in passing heating gases at first through a layer of refractory material located in yadvance of a mass of iron and thereafter through the said mass of iron. and alternately passing a reducing` gas and steam through the heated mass of iron, said mass of iron having at its central part a greater permeability than at its outer part. l

6. The hereindescribed process of producing hydrogen, which consists in alter-y nately passingk a reducing gas and steam through a hea-ted mass of iron the central zone of which has a greater permeability than the outer one, passing the reducing13 meenam) gases coming from the mass of iron tospecification inthe presence of two suie gethr with Ian ai suply orhsupporting `scribing Witnesses. com ustion t roug re ractory eat storing Y means, and thereafter passing the steam KARL SCHAEFER 5 through the said heat storing means prior to Witnesses:

- admitting the same to the mass of iron. ERNEST H. L. MUMMENHOIT,

En testimony whereof, 1 have signed this CHARLES A. HALLEY, Jr. 

